Kelvin forced to shed off extra lbs

Local fighter Kelvin Fitial already had a heck of a workout yesterday, the eve before his scheduled bout against Guam’s Franklin Manglona was to get underway in Fury V Full Contact Fighting Unleashed at the University of Guam Fieldhouse.

Coming in at more than 15 lbs overweight from the mandated 200-lbs fight, Fitial was forced to shed the weight and sweated it out yesterday but only lost seven lbs when he made it to the first weigh in at around 3pm. It’s still not official what organizers would decide once Fitial fails to make the weight limit.

Manglona is fighting out of Spike 22 Guam and enters the bout with an immaculate 3-0 record. A raw Fitial gave a good account of himself in his debut against Jason Tarkong in Trench Wars Fight Night last November.

He gave the veteran a lot of fits with his long reach and hard kicks before the wily Tarkong made it a ground fight and defeated the 6-footer with a rear naked choke.

In related news, aside from prepping Fitial for his pro debut in tonight’s Fury V in Guam, Trench Tech-Purebred Saipan has also been working hard in setting up bouts for the group’s next project—Trench Warz: Caged In.

In an interview, Fitial coach and event coordinator Cuki Alvarez announced that tickets for the second Trench Warz are already on sale and can be purchased at the Trench Tech-Purebred Saipan Gym behind Moylans Insurance in Garapan.

“We only have 350 tickets and all will be pre-sold,” Alvarez said, citing that tickets are being sold quickly. “So if you want to see all the action in the cage, you got to get your tickets now.”

Alvarez said tickets can also be bought from members of Trench Tech.

Meanwhile, Alvarez disclosed that the main event and semi main event are both set, with law enforcer Jason Tarkong facing David Kapileo in the main showdown, and Frank “The Crank” Camacho battling his uncle, Mike Camacho.

“These are fights that can’t be missed,” Alvarez said.

Aside from the two no holds barred fights, Alvarez said he had another eight bouts lined up in the category, including a battle of heavyweights as Slade “The Palauan Phenom” Adelbai faces Paul Iginoef.

Fury III: Fighting Islands veteran Roland Kapileo also makes a return as he faces Giovanni Sablan.

Two submission fights will also be on the card, one which will feature musician-turned-fighter Walter Manglona taking on Dan Atalig.

All in attendance will also have the opportunity to witness kickboxing at its best as fighters from Thailand will battle with no protective gear.

“This is a big one for us. We’re able to get this from FairTex Thailand, and you’ll see the real deal Thai boxing…no shin guards, no gear. It’s as real as Thai fights get,” Alvarez said. Another amateur kickboxing bout will be on the card.

Alvarez said details on the card would be released soon as organizers are still matching the fighters.

“We’ve had many guys that have come up to me and said ‘I want to fight’ but unfortunately I had to turn them down because there was no one to match them with,” Alvarez said. “We’re still doing the matching, and that should be done soon.”

Like the first Trench Warz last November, two amateur boxing matches will also be featured. (With reports from Eduardo C. Siguenza)